U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,323 discloses a small-scale apparatus for tenderising meat. A casing contains a grid for supporting meat, and UV tubes for irradiating meat. Irradiation periods of one hour are disclosed, using UV in the range 265-300 nm.
WO94/24875 discloses industrial equipment for the UV-sterilisation of foodstuffs. Batch processing can employ a chamber having a food-supporting grid in a central region, and UV sources distributed around the walls. There may be means for moving the food relative to the grid during irradiation so that portions in contact with the grid do not escape irradiation. WO94/24875 also discloses continuous treatment, as does U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,964. The latter discloses a UV treatment cavity with a roller conveyor for conveying food. Some of the UV sources are below the conveying path, being located between conveying rollers, so that the whole surface of the food can be irradiated.